The NorCal Cheese Scene Is Brimming With Delicious Options
While the phrase “American cheese” has long evoked a plasticine product of dubious deliciousness, these days, the world of American-made artisan cheese is stronger than ever before — and it’s thanks in large part to some big NorCal names.
Cypress Grove is one such producer. Founded in 1983 by Mary Keehn, a former student of marine biology turned goat-loving cheesemaker, the dairy has since become a pioneer of American chèvre, perhaps best known for Humboldt Fog. The cheese, whose name and appearance were inspired by the dense fog bank one can see along the local coastline, was first launched back in 1992 and has since become a household name.
“Humboldt Fog is Cypress Grove’s best-known cheese, and we’re very excited about the joy it brings to so many,” says Cypress Grove marketing manager Janne Rasmussen. “The emotional attachment is incredible — and after 30 years, Humboldt Fog paves the way for so many other cheeses.”
These include buttery, bloomy-rinded Little Giant, launched in January 2020, and Meyer Lemon and Honey — a fresh goat cheese — launched in June 2022. The company also has plans to launch a new style early next year.
But Cypress Grove is far from the only local cheesemaker crafting exciting cheeses in the area. According to Rasmussen, consumer enthusiasm regarding cheese is at an all-time high, contributing to an ever-growing local cheesescape.
“Never have more Americans been so hungry and knowledgeable about artisan cheese,” says Rasmussen. “Ten years ago, we were still hearing ‘ewwww, goat cheese,’ and that is so rare now.”
If you’re on the lookout for some novel cheeses to share on your holiday cheeseboards, here are just a few of the other local cheesemakers she’s particularly excited about.
This cheesemaker makes “really solid cheddars” in…
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